success with leash training BUT....

Hey everyone so I've been harness/leash training my 4 months old kitten for about a month now and everything was going great. She now wears it normally and walks without crawling and has No problem with me holding the leash and following her around the house. So, I decided to try outside for the first time and well....how do you guys get your cat's to change direction?! I mean I follow her and all but for example yesterday she wanted to go explore under a parked car and I tried tugging lightly with no success. I even tried standing still which would cause pressure on her if she moves but she still kept resisting the leash and going under that parked car. It was even to the point that she was only standing on her hind legs and still pushing forward with her chest. So how do I teach her to change direction in these situations where she goes places she isn't supposed to. I tried treats but she's too distracted with exploring that she shows no interest in the treats she goes crazy for. She seems to want to go look under all the tight spaces like under cars/benches etc. It's possible to teach her because I have seen videos of people who like whistle or call the name and the at comes to them immediately. So how?

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance!

Hi uniqms95,

First of all, it sounds like you're well on your way to successfully taking her on walks. Congratulations!

When she starts walking towards areas that you would prefer her to stay away from, say no firmly, and gently tug on the leash, as you have been doing.  However, at this point she might not know what the tug is supposed to mean. To demonstrate what the tug means, walk over to her while "reeling" the leash in, pick her up, and place her so that she is facing another direction.  If you stay consistent with this sort of redirection, she should soon understand that you want her to go somewhere else just when you tug the leash/ say no.

I would also start training her to come when called when in the house. This is my method for training cats to come when called:

1. Give your cat a treat.

2. Walk a few steps away from her, and show her the treat while calling her name. She should come to you to get the treat.

3. Increase the distance that you walk away from her before calling. Soon she should come even when she can't see you or the treat. If she doesn't come, you may have gone too far. Go back to the last place that she came when called, and increase the distance in smaller increments.

Since she is excited about exploring the new world of the outdoors, she might not respond to you at first (like you said, she is not too interested in the treats). If you are consistent with your training and taking her for walks, soon she should become more relaxed and more responsive to you.

Happy walking!

Eileen

Thank you Eileen! I will start doing that and post again to say how it goes however, if I train her to come when called...won't she stop coming over time when she Finds out that after a certain time there are no treats being given anymore? And thanks again for your really really helpful answer!

You're very welcome.

One way to keep her from getting bored with coming when called is to mix it up once in a while and actually give her a treat when she comes. That way, she'll never know whether or not she will get a treat when she goes to your call. In my experience, if the cat likes treats, more often than not the cat would rather take the risk of not getting a treat, than miss out on the treat altogether. And of course, whenever she comes, praise her and pet her (or something that she enjoys) to keep it fun.

Looking forward to your update! 

Consistency is the focus when training!

When I started leash walking my cat outdoors, I would say "ah ah" (in a firm voice- this is also used for dog training), then gently tug on the leash/harness to let her know she wasn't allowed in that spot. I would have to pick her up and redirect her several times as well. Every time I would do the same, "ah ah", then a tug. When they start to "listen" or know to carry onto a different direction, remember to give them lots of praise with a treat! Reward good behaviours! 

Took a solid 3 weeks before she knew exactly where she wasn't allowed. Now when we walk outside, she doesn't even attempt to explore the areas she knows are off limits.

Keep up with the awesome leash training! Let us know how it goes   

Thanks a lot!!!!!! I'll keep you guys updated

I have been leash training my kitten since she could fill the harness. At 13 weeks now she does pretty good.
When she goes near cars, I scare her. I don't want her to think cars are okay to be anywhere near them. All I do is just make a loud pst sound. It has worked for all our cats when they would scratch furniture or get on tables, eat plants, etc..
Also I switched to a retractable leash as it allows me to get further away that she will try to stay by me or come when called.

allison319 said:

I have been leash training my kitten since she could fill the harness. At 13 weeks now she does pretty good.
When she goes near cars, I scare her. I don't want her to think cars are okay to be anywhere near them. All I do is just make a loud pst sound. It has worked for all our cats when they would scratch furniture or get on tables, eat plants, etc..
Also I switched to a retractable leash as it allows me to get further away that she will try to stay by me or come when called.

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the tip